Victory Kitchen expanding

SANDUSKY — There's been a need for Victory Kitchen ever since it was founded in 1991. Now, the demand is even greater, and the nonprofit is expanding after 33 years of service. It recently purchased the former Station House Saloon building, located at 1627 Hayes Ave., just down the block from its main facility, for $225,000, county auditor records state. Recent challenges Victory Kitchen, located on the west side of Hayes Avenue along North Depot Street, is known for serving hot meals Monday through Friday year-round. It also provides pantry goods, a place for people to take showers and gifts for children on certain holidays. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, the nonprofit continued to serve food but it had to shut down the dining room in its facility. It was a cozy place where community members gathered to eat freshly cooked meals. Since then, the dining room has remained closed and meals have been served to-go style through a window. "You miss that 1-on-1 time and the camaraderie that you get with the people that come in," said operations manager Carolynne Walters. "You get to know their story. It also gives people peace of mind knowing they have someone to talk to when they don't have anyone else." When pandemic restrictions lifted, the nonprofit determined it couldn't reopen the dining room because of the number of people it serves on a daily basis increased. The plate count went from about 150 a day before the pandemic to about 250 to 300 every day now. The dining room could only seat about two dozen people comfortably. People would take time to eat and move on. Due to the increased need, it would take a substantial amount of time to serve everyone. "It's impossible for us to reopen it to full capacity because of the space," Walters said. Opportunity arises The late Lonnie Walters, who started the nonprofit, always wanted to expand, which included a larger space for dining. Lonnie's son, Luke Walters, and Luke's wife, Carolynne, run the nonprofit now. They spent years reaching out to property owners all around looking for a bigger space, but everything fell through. An opportunity finally came this year and Victory Kitchen purchased the former Station House Saloon. "(Expanding) was always a conversation, then with COVID, it became a need," Walters said. "Now, it has become a reality." The building is in need of some remodeling, so it can function as a new community dining space. They're hoping to bring in more natural light, so the building feels homelike and is a safe place to enjoy meals. The ultimate goal is to move the kitchen and serving/dining into the former bar space. There will be more seating for community members to eat indoors while getting out of the elements outside. "We'll not only feed people physically, but also spiritually," Walters said. "We can be that listening ear and show that love and compassion to people who need it." As they're remodeling, they're hoping to divide the bar into pieces and sell it, so those funds can go back into the project. Walters said when the bar was in operation, it was a hotspot for American Crayon factory workers. Many people have memories of the bar. While the Station House is being cleaned up, volunteers are using it as a way to fill and organize items for the upcoming shoebox Christmas. "This would definitely free up some space and create some more space for us to do all the other things the community allows us to do," Walters said. There's a lot of work to do, but it's a much needed project. The nonprofit hopes to open the dining space during the summer of 2025. "We're really excited about the expansion because it's something that's so needed with the amount of people that utilize this resource and our organization," Walters said. "To be able to have this and have the means to open it, we're extremely grateful of that."